Besides the communications over the headsets, do astronauts hear any other sounds inside their helmets? Do they hear their own breath? Are there any mechanical sounds audible? Does the circulating air generate any sounds?
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$\begingroup$ sound related: Did the Apollo astronauts hear any external sounds during a lunar EVA? and Can astronauts hear sounds during space walks for repairs? and Can astronauts inside ISS hear their crewmates doing EVAs? and Noise inside an ACES/pumpkin suit helmet? $\endgroup$– uhohCommented May 24, 2020 at 0:18
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4$\begingroup$ I'm reminded of the scenes in "2001" where Dave is deactivating HAL while wearing a space suit. We hear his heavy breathing during the whole sequence. $\endgroup$– BarmarCommented May 24, 2020 at 4:36
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1$\begingroup$ @uhoh LOL, two of those four are my questions. $\endgroup$– Bob516Commented May 24, 2020 at 4:45
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1$\begingroup$ @Barmar I saw it as a kid in the theatre when it was first released in 1968 and I can still hear it! $\endgroup$– uhohCommented May 24, 2020 at 4:55
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1 Answer
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Tom Jones talks about it some in his memoir "Skywalking" when he describes an EVA carried out on shuttle mission STS-98:
- Inside the airlock when it is pressurized
Through the helmet shell, from the world outside the space suit, came a muted, sporadic tinkling sound, the result of minor collisions between our drifting tools and the airlock walls.
- During airlock depressurization
...my voice was nearly drowned out by the roar of air escaping through the valve and through the shuttle's thin aluminum hull...The noise began to diminish as the thinning air lost its ability to transmit sound.
...
As the internal suit pressure stabilized at 4.3 psi, the rush of oxygen from the suit fan dropped to a background whisper: there were now fewer molecules to carry the sound. Comforting thought. My voice took on a lower, rougher pitch, the result of the reduced gas density passing through my larynx.
- Outside
The whir of the suit fan was now just a whisper tugging at a corner of my awareness.
pp. 286-306
Of course he also heard communications traffic in his headphones as you say in the question.
This is a very detailed description of the sensations of doing an EVA, recommended reading.
I flipped through Jerry Ross's and Clayton Anderson's memoirs also but didn't find any reference to sounds during EVA.
answered May 23, 2020 at 20:11
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1$\begingroup$ Thanks for the recommendation, I bought the book. $\endgroup$– Bob516Commented Jun 2, 2020 at 3:28